It may not be a surprise to see the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation return to the Power List. But it was widely anticipated that the Europhile MP for Orpington would not survive a ministerial reshuffle following the General Election. However rumours of a ‘Jexit’ proved exaggerated, and following the unexpectedly poor election result for the Conservatives, Johnson was returned to the post which straddles BEIS and DfE. With the Higher Education and Research Act – memorable for Johnson looking on earnestly through the Lords debates – safely passed before the election, the minister’s work moves to the implementation phase.
However, following pressure over the summer from the popular press and influential commentators (see: elsewhere on the Power List), it looks as if his own Chancellor is set to take an axe to the system that he has been busy defending in recent months. How well he negotiates his position inside government, particularly with the Treasury, in the coming weeks and months will prove critical for his future, and possibly the future shape of higher education funding.
In June, Johnson received a generous write-up in The Evening Standard by The Economist’s Anne McElvoy, who suggested he might have a better chance at party leadership than his more famous brother Boris. This is politics after all. Stranger things have happened…